Phone Notes and Public Transport
by Predominantly Normal
Summary: "Ness had really jumped in without thinking this time..." A collection of shippy oneshots all written in 30 minutes or less. [Nesscas]
1. Nesscas- Tulips

**I DO NOT OWN THE MOTHER SERIES**

 **Aloha! So this is just going to be a collection of random oneshots because I have like. Thirty minutes of nothing to do while I take the RTA to my apprenticeship job. They're all gonna be really shitty, and I'm not going to edit them for some minor personal reasons. As always, content warnings will be posted when needed.**

 **This first story relates to a tumblr ask blog I run ask-homebound-claus . Check it out if you've got time!**

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[Nesscas]  
Tulips

Ness was covered in oil and grease. His hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat. Every muscle in his body was screaming to rest.

He initially came down to the Tazmily marketplace to stop for a bite to eat and a place to sit for the short duration of his break, but instead, he was ducking behind a flower stand and staring out at the bakery. Standing outside, a boy with blond hair making small talk with a slightly younger brown-haired boy. The brown haired boy was named Fuel, Ness remembered. Fuel was in the apprenticeship program, and training as part of Tazmily's transportation initiative program.

Ness had spent a long afternoon teaching him about sprockets and drive trains.

But the boy next to him was a fresh face. Ness had seen him once or twice helping out with the agriculture students, but he'd never gotten a good look.

And now that he had gotten a good look, he found it hard to avert his eyes elsewhere.

The boy was tall- he probably had at least a head on Ness, even as he was slouching to conceal his height. He was built like a fridge, with broad shoulders and a square jaw. He fidgeted with his large hands as he talked.

"Why do blonds always gotta be so cute?" Ness murmured to himself with exasperation. "I'm helpless. I really am."

A hand on Ness' shoulder made him jolt. It was unbecoming of a man like him to scream like a girl who startled, but then again it was just as unbecoming to hide and stare at that beautiful boy without approaching him.

Ness whipped around to be met with the soft face of an older woman.

"That boy over there is Lucas," she said warmly. Ness' face flooded with red, and he spluttered. "Oh, sweetheart," the woman laughed knowingly. "I know you've been ogling him for the past ten minutes. I don't blame you- he's awfully handsome. A real hit with the girls. Though I don't think he's very interested in a wife, if you catch my drift."

And Ness, caught off guard and with nothing else to think of saying, said, "I've been here for ten minutes? Shit! I've just killed a third of my break!"

"Now I don't approve of that language, but I do think you ought to talk to him. Poor Lucas is always so skittish. He could use a strong young man like you." The woman clicked her tongue. "And you've broken my loitering policy. I'll have to report you to the local authorities unless you purchase something."

Ness stopped himself from cursing again. He dug around for his wallet. "Okay, okay," he huffed. "What have you got for cheap?"

The woman looked thoughtful for a moment. Then, a wide smile grew over her face. "You know, I've got some old yellow tulips that never sold. I don't think they will, unfortunately. I was going to take them out to the trash, but I'll strike you a deal. If you take my flowers out for me, I'll waive your loitering violation."

Ness smiled as a plan came to him, "Certainly!" he said.

The woman retreated to the back for a moment before returning with a wrapped group of tulips. Strangely, they didn't look at all rotted. In fact, the stems looked fresh.

Ness didn't question it. He took the flowers happily and bid the woman goodbye.

Ness steeled himself before walking up to Lucas and Fuel. He wondered if he looked anything less than a complete grease monkey with his oil stained tank top and backwards hat.

But there was little time to be self conscious. Ness hid the flowers behind his back and stuck a brilliant smile on his face.

"Hey, Ness!" Fuel called as Ness approached.

"Fuel," Ness acknowledged. "Hey, would you be able to go to old man Wess' for me? Apparently he has a set of tools we need to finish one of the engines."

Fuel whined, but as soon as he caught eye of the flowers, agreed eagerly.

And then it was just Ness and Lucas.

"The villagers here tell me your name is Lucas," Ness grinned.

Lucas smiled, his eyes flickering away. "Yes, that's me. And you're one of the student mechanics that came here to help modernize our transportation, right?"

"Yep," Ness smiled. "So I was thinking... you're pretty damn cute, and I've got nothing to do after work." Ness pulled the flowers from his back and presented them to Lucas with a wink. "Do you have dinner plans?"

Ness wished he had a camera on him to cement that image of Lucas turning the color of a cherry. Lucas shifted awkwardly and looked down at his feet. He didn't respond for a long time. Ness began to sweat- he'd really jumped in without looking this time. If Lucas rejected him, he'd surely have a sour last few hours of work.

"I'm sorry," Ness recovered smoothly. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot. I just saw you and thought you looked absolutely stunning, so-,"

"No, it's not that! Honest," Lucas said, and a nervous laugh bubbled up in his throat. "You just caught me off guard. I've never really been, you know, asked out before. I didn't really process what you said."

A smile stretched across Ness' face. "Is that a yes? If so, I'll meet you at this spot at eight tonight! I promise, I'll shower!"

Lucas laughed. "Okay. Your name is Ness, right?"

"Yep!" Ness grinned. "I'll see you tonight, Lucas! Until then, take care of these!"

Ness passed Lucas the tulips cheerfully. And with one more goodbye, raced all the way back to work with a happy heart and evening plans.


	2. Nesscas- Pencil Tops

**The group chat wanted me to do something fluffy but I don't play by the rules. The boys are aged 13-15 in this, and it's more friendship than shippy but whatever.**

 **CONTENT WARNINGS: Harassment, Bullying, Offensive Language, Depictions of Anxiety and Self-Harm, Depictions of Mental Illness**

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[Nesscas]  
Pencil Tops

Lucas chewed on his pencil tops.

Some would call this a bad habit. Lucas liked to think of it as a coping mechanism. Because when he chewed on his pencil tops, he could avoid a more unpleasant absent-minded habit, like scratching or biting at his cuticles. It was much easier and more socially acceptable to have chewed school supplies rather than chewed skin.

It was all because of anxiety, but Lucas couldn't quit the habit if he tried. It calmed him down when he got nervous, and it kept him from bouncing off the walls or ripping his hair out.

Claus found it disgusting. Claus had covered Lucas' pencils in hot sauce once to help him quit. It hadn't worked.

Lucas couldn't be mad at Claus, though. His older twin had just been trying to protect him. Because the other kids at his school found his habits disgusting, too. But they were far less merciful about their distaste.

Lucas got bullied a lot. And he hated the word, "bullied", because it sounded so painfully elementary and worthy of a bad 80's cartoon special that nobody really took him seriously when he told them.

 _"Just stand up to them!"_

But there were more of them than him.

 _"Don't react!"_

And leave himself wide open? Good joke. Even more than they liked to see him mad, they liked to see his spirits broken.

 _"They're just insecure!"_

Be that as it may, they were still beating his ass.

Lucas had been held back a year, too, for failed social development. Claus had graduated to the high school and thus, couldn't protect him. Lucas was on his own.

They'd caught him right after lunch.

Anderson, Markus, and Mary.

They'd played Keep Away with his book bag. It was unfair, though. Markus was holding Lucas down while Anderson and Mary tossed his bag around. Lucas struggled, but Markus was stronger.

They were laughing. Lucas could hardly see past his tears.

They called Lucas a plethora of slurs. It was a nightmare that had only lasted two minutes in retrospect.

Mary threw Lucas' book bag into one of the cafeteria trashcans. The late bell rung. Mary, Markus, and Anderson all shouldered him to their next class- a shared period in Bio. The entire way, they asked him questions he didn't understand, and laughed at his answers.

None of the teachers came to save him. He was considered "special needs", and they considered Anderson and his friends the most selfless kids in the world for taking the time out of their days to include him.

When they all walked to bio late, Anderson put on a remorseful face and approached the teacher.

"Sorry, Mr. A, for being late. Lucas lost his backpack and we were looking all over the lunchroom for it."

Lucas played along. Everyone at the school already believed he was incompetent. Better to be quiet and accept it than to make a scene.

With no pencils to chew, Lucas bit at his thumb until it scabbed.

"You should be grateful," Anderson snarled. "You're not gonna be marked tardy, either. Even though you were the reason we're late."

Lucas nodded and thanked Anderson.

Lucas walked home from school. He lived just a few hundred yards before the limit, so he didn't get a bus.

He raced to the cafeteria as soon as his last period bell rang and checked the trash cans. All empty. They must've been cleared out. Lucas held back the urge to cry.

He didn't come from a wealthy family. They couldn't just buy all of his supplies back. He'd have to pay for his notebooks, his pens, and all of his textbooks.

Or worse, he'd have to burden Claus, and make his twin share supplies with him.

Lucas dug his nails into his palm to keep himself under control, balled his fists, and walked out. He was fifteen fucking years old. He could handle this.

He left the school with his head down.

"Hey! Lucas!"

Lucas whipped around. "What do you want from me?" He snarled.

Surprisingly, though, he wasn't met with one of the faces of his tormentors. Instead, he saw a handsome boy with a crooked nose and a mop of soft black hair.

"Woah, dude, chill out," the boy said. "I'm not here to harass you like Anderson's gang of merry assholes. My name is Ness. You're Lucas Eastwood, right?"

Lucas blinked. It was difficult to process a friendly face.

"Yes, that's me," Lucas said, his eyes flickering about to search for any possible escape routes should the need arise.

"Awesome- I was worried I wouldn't be able to catch you until tommorow."

"Did you need something from me?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah. I found this for you." Ness pulled a familiar blue bag out and held it up with a grin. "Heard Anderson and Markus laughing about throwing some kid's bag into the trash during gym. They didn't say it was yours, but I kind of figured it out myself."

"How did you...?" Lucas gasped, snatching his bag away from Ness and hugging it tight to his chest.

"Well, all the pencils in there are mutilated," Ness laughed. "I see you chew your stuff all the time in English."

Lucas smiled brightly and felt tears rise up again. But this time, he had no reservations about showing them.

"Thank you," he said, voice catching in his throat. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Ness grinned. "Hey, no problem. And if Anderson's gang messes with you again, just tell me. I'll make sure they get it." As if to emphasize his point, Ness threw a punch into the air.

Lucas let a small laugh leave him. And suddenly guilt hit him. "Is there anything I can do for you now?" he asked meekly. He doubted he could repay Ness' kindness, but it would be unfair not to at least try.

"Actually..." Ness hummed thoughfully. "I was gonna play basketball with a few friends in a little, but Ninten wussed out so my team is short a player. You wanna play with us?"

Lucas' eyes went wide. "Uh, I've never... I'm not good at sports."

Ness dismissed his concern with a wave. "Nonsense. You've got the perfect build for a forward. I mean, Ninten has asthma, so at least you'll be able to run across the court without hacking up a storm."

Lucas wondered if this was a trick. But the questions stirring in his mind were temporary. He looked at Ness' smile, and the warmest eyes he'd ever seen, and he knew. He was safe.


	3. Nesscas- Post-It Notes

**CONTENT WARNINGS: Swearing, Implied Sex**

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Nesscas  
[Post-It Notes]

Mornings sucked.

It especially sucked because Ness had the morning shifts at work- thus meaning he had to get up before the sun did six days a week. Even worse, Lucas went to school. He was usually in class by time Ness came home. And by the time Lucas came back, Ness was fast asleep.

This was not how Ness intended to live when they graduated high school, but life, if nothing else, was fairly adept at ruining plans.

Ness pressed his lips to Lucas' forehead before standing up and stretching. He groaned a little as his sore muscles popped, and went to throw on his clothes. The one positive thing he could cite about working in automechanics was that dress codes were merely suggestions. He still liked how his button up fit, though, and so wore it most days.

He walked into the kitchen. Coffee, his tired mind begged.

He followed the orders of his caffeine-addicted system, and brewed a pot. He opened the cabinet for a mug- and that's when he saw it.

 _Cleaned your favorite mug. I love you! - Lucas_

The sticky note was plastered to his favorite cup. It was a stupid yellow mug with a painted smiley face, but Lucas had bought it for him at a flea market on one of their dates when they were just teenagers.

Ness grinned and took the mug. He felt a little better about staining his teeth brown.

After coffee, Ness walked to the bathroom. To his pleasure, another sticky note was plastered to the mirror.

 _Lookin' handsome. I love you! - Lucas_

Ness laughed a little, feeling like a stupid kid in love again. He took the sticky note off and pocketed it before cleaning himself up for the day.

He walked to the fridge next, eagerly hoping for another note. His heart dropped a little when nothing showed up. He took his lunch box and walked out the door.

Another sticky note was plastered to the handle of his car.

 _Come home an hour early tonight, okay? I love you. - Lucas_

Ness smiled, and took off for work. The men he worked with were kind and diligent- if not a bit foul-mouthed. His boss even insisted that Ness take off the entire second half of his shift- not to mention a simple hour.

"Got a date with your man?" one of the men asked.

"Don't know," Ness admitted. "He asked me to come home early. Maybe he's got something planned?"

"Oh boy," the man chuckled. "You're gonna be a real lucky guy tonight."

"You think?"

"Hell, if my wife left me a note like that, I'd call the entire day off sick! And probably the next, too."

Ness laughed and slugged the man.

The workday was long with anticipation stretching every hour. As soon as the lunch break hit, Ness raced home.

The room was empty when he came in. Odd, but Ness took the opportunity to shower and get some nicer clothes on.

Ness waited for a while. Lucas had classes, but Ness assumed he'd have called his professors sick if he'd wanted to spend a night with Ness. Ness frowned. He sat around for a bit before the waiting game killed him.

Did Lucas stand him up or something? Ness frowned. It was unlike Lucas to do such a thing- but it was an hour past the time his shift normally ended, and Lucas still hadn't walked through the door. Ness felt worried, but pissed moreso.

Ness growled. It was then his stomach alerted him that he'd left work without eating lunch. Ness rolled his eyes and reached for his bag. When he opened it, his eyes budged out of his head.

 _Hope you're having a good lunch! I made you steak sandwiches. Don't fill up, though! I made reservations at our old restaurant tonight at six. Can't wait to see you. I love you. - Lucas_

Ness cursed and whipped around to look at the clock. 7:45. Shit.

Ness hurried out the door and raced to his car. He drove so fast, he had to thank whatever higher deity kept a cop from catching him.

Their old restaurant was a little hole in the wall bar. Ness had taken Lucas there on their first date, and it had been a favorite ever since.

He rushed into the restaurant just as Lucas was leaving.

"Lucas! Oh, God, I'm sorry!" Ness yelped. "I didn't- I left work before lunch! I didn't see the-,"

"Oh, so you're the asshole fiance," a woman said, eyeing Ness up and down. She patted Lucas on the back and whispered in his ear just loud enough for Ness to catch it. "You can do better, honey."

Lucas' eyes looked red. He was crying. Shit.

"Lucas, I'm so sorry, I-,"

"It's fine, Ness," Lucas sighed. "It doesn't matter."

"Come on, babe, please. I really didn't see it. I was so excited to get home- and my boss let me off early. I should've checked the lunchbox earlier, I'm sorry."

Lucas cracked a smile. "Okay," he said. "but you owe me food."

"Of course- whatever you want."

"McDonalds," Lucas said.

"What- no! Anything but that. That place is so unhealthy-,"

"Two hours, Ness. I waited two hours."

"Fine! But if I get a gut and start getting fat and you don't like me anymore, it's your fault," Ness snapped.

"Of course," Lucas grinned.

The next morning, Ness woke up early. He kissed Lucas' bare skin, and got up to get dressed. Suddenly, arms around him stopped him. Sitting there, Lucas looked up at him with groggy eyes.

"Call off," Lucas demanded sleepily.

Ness smiled.

Mornings rocked.


End file.
